Groveland Helps Eustis With Errors

SPORTS

GROVELAND — Eustis didn't hit the ball well in Tuesday's opening game of the Class AA, District 10 slowpitch softball tournament, but the Panthers didn't have to.

Eustis (9-9) took advantage of nine walks and seven errors by Groveland (8-9) to roll to a 7-0 victory and move into Thursday's semifinal round against top-seeded Tavares.

The semifinals and Friday's final will be played at Eustis High School. In the semifinals, the winner of Tuesday's two other first-round games, Mount Dora-Clermont and Umatilla-Bishop Moore, play at 4 p.m. Eustis plays Tavares at 6 p.m.

''It was an ugly win,'' Eustis coach Ted Gottfried said. ''But we haven't played good down here this year. The last time we played here we lost. We are playing great at home, though.

''Hopefully, we got this ugly game out of our system and we will play better when we get back home Thursday.''

The game was all but over after the first two innings. Eustis had a 6-0 lead, the product of eight walks, four errors and just two hits.

Groveland played without starting pitcher Julie Eley, who was serving an in-school suspension. Groveland coach Dana Thomas started Kissie Brown instead of Ericka Neal. Eustis hit well off Neal earlier in the season. Brown throws a higher arc, but in the wind she had control problems.

Brown walked the first three batters in the first inning before Neal came on in relief.

''I was hoping Kissie would get some strikes across and they would pop up her high arc,'' Thomas said. ''But we didn't really lose because of any one thing. We just didn't play a good game. We didn't do anything offensively or defensively.''

Both teams had just four hits, but Eustis made two of its hits hurt. Stephanie Rimes had a two-run single in the first inning, and Kim Crosby tripled home a run in the second.

Groveland's Shakira Brown provided half her team's offense with two singles, but Groveland only had one player make it as far as second base.

If there was a difference, it was in Eustis' defense and the pitching of Katy Lyons. Eustis committed just two errors and neither of those runners got past first base. Lyons didn't walk a batter.

''Katy pitched pretty well,'' Gottfried said. ''In fact, I think she only threw one bad pitch, and that was when she got behind in the count to Neal.''